A bill that expands Florida's Tax-Credit Scholarship program -- which provides kids from low-income families scholarship vouchers they use to attend private school -- likely will get a vote today in the Florida Senate. A collection of advocacy groups, including the Florida PTA and Orlando-based Fund Education Now, is urging a "no" vote, arguing the program diverts public money to private schools that do not have to meet the same academic or testing standards as their public counterparts.

The program, now serving nearly 60,000 students, has been popular with parents who use the scholarships, growing from 25,000 students five years ago. Republican lawmakers have also been fans, and House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, urged a "massive expansion" at the start of this year's legislative session.

The advocacy groups that oppose the bill, SB 1512, said the changes do little good.

"We do not accept diverting billion of public tax revenue to pay for private schools that are not required to take the same tets, learn the same curriculum or work under the same standards and sanctions as our public schools," the group said in a statement this week.

The opposition groups include the League of United Latin American Citizens, which worries the private schools that take scholarships do not always do a good job educating children still learning English.

Fund Education Now objects to the program in part because it uses public money to pay for education at religious schools "that are not required to be accredited, hire certified teachers or comply with any of the standards, testing or curriculum mandates imposed on public schools."

More than 70 percent of the participating private schools are religious.

Common Core may be the most controversial education issue you know nothing about. It's been trashed on radio talk shows and touted in speeches, and it will be the subject of three public hearings across the state this month. Yet 55 percent of parents are clueless about the nationwide initiative,...